Advancing All 17 SDGs At Once: How Italy’s ASviS Applies a Holistic Approach to Achieving the 2030 Agenda
The largest civil society coalition in Italy, the Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development (ASviS), unites over 320 organizations and 1000 experts to act for the SDGs and achieve the 2030 Agenda.
As we pass the midpoint of our journey to 2030, a reality check on the Sustainable Development Goals shows that SDG progress is lagging. In fact, according to the recent UN SDG Progress Report, a mere 12% of the SDG targets are currently on track, while progress remains slow or insufficient for 50% of them. This underscores the urgent need for increased efforts to ensure that the SDGs stay on track and that progress towards a sustainable future for all is achieved.
Enter ASviS — a platform established in 2016 for thought leaders to share their insights on our sustainable future with the aim of increasing awareness about the importance of the 2030 Agenda and mobilizing all sectors of society in order to achieve the SDGs. The Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development, or ASviS for short, is the largest civil society coalition in Italy, with over 1000 experts from universities, research centres, business associations, foundations, trade unions and local institution networks uniting in working groups.
“I believe that we need to work on all 17 SDGs at the same time to ensure a better present and future for our planet and the people who live on it”, explains ASviS’ Secretary General Giulio Lo lacono. “What is really necessary is for the overall awareness of the urgency of the moment to translate into concrete action by the institutions, both at the national and international level, in order to be united for action.”
Giulio Lo Iacono is a dynamic leader with a track record of success. As part of his commitment to the SDGSs, he has overseen every edition of the Italy-based Sustainable Development Festival from 2017 to 2023. As he stated, the challenges to be overcome to put Italy on a more sustainable path are not small, but ASviS is determined to tackle the coming years. We spoke to Lo Iacono to hear how the Secretary-General plans to address these challenges and unite for the SDGs:
Building a sustainable future for all means taking action today and flipping the current global narrative on everything from climate change and gender inequality to food insecurity. Zooming in on one priority, what challenge speaks to you the most, and how are you and your organization uniting to act for the SDGs?
ASviS works to advance all 17 SDGs equally. As part of its mission, it carries out awareness-raising, advocacy, education, scientific research, and institutional relations.
As Secretary-General of ASviS, I believe that we must not focus on a single Goal as a “priority” because all of them are interconnected, and any step further towards each one has implications for the achievement of the others.
Every year, there are specific challenges: for instance, 2023 is crucial in Italy to give substance to the recent constitutional reform of Articles 9 and 41, which introduced the protection of the environment, biodiversity and ecosystems among the constitutional rights, with a prospect of intergenerational justice. This has been one of our main proposals since 2016.
It is also an important year for the European Union: the last one before the next Parliamentary elections, the year dedicated to skills and the year in which the EU presented its Voluntary review of the 2030 Agenda at the UN.
This year marks the halfway point to Agenda 2030, and yet indicators show that progress on the SDGs is lagging. Only about 12% of the Goals are currently on track, while close to 50% are moderately or severely off track. What do you want to see happen right now in your sector that can contribute to inverting this negative trend and putting us back on the right path?
In Italy, we have been keeping track of the progress in achieving the SDGs since 2016. The country lacks sufficient momentum to reach Goals by 2030. For this reason, ahead of the 2022 general election, ASviS submitted to all political parties a ten-point proposal for a more sustainable future. These points encompassed all the priorities of the SDGs. This has led to a growth of interest and engagement from political actors on the importance of the SDGs, which will hopefully translate into more ambitious policies being implemented. What is really necessary is for the overall awareness of the urgency of the moment — the climate crisis, the need for a just transition of jobs and skills, a more just approach to international relations, etc. — to translate into concrete action by the institutions, both at the national and international level, in order to be united for action.
Despite some discouraging news on SDG progress, we are nonetheless hopeful that, when united for action, we can affect positive change. We know this just by looking at the thousands of application submissions we receive each year for our UN SDG Action Awards, which celebrate mobilizers, inspirers, and changemakers. Which individual or initiative inspires you to take action and continue to work towards a better future for all?
As a civil society network, ASviS takes inspiration every day from its more than 320 member organizations. Each one is committed to achieving one or more of the SDGs, leading to a virtuous circle that mutually influences the whole of our activities.
The most important awareness-raising initiative that ASviS organizes every year is the Italian Sustainable Development Festival. The Festival’s approach is in line with the idea of “flipping the script”: everyone can propose an initiative. A “bottom-up” approach that flips the script compared to the traditional “top-down” events. Beach clean-ups, education activities in schools, workshops with business managers, and different ways to share best practices and solutions to flip the script for a more sustainable future. This allows each year a significant mobilization: thousands of events and millions of engagements on social media and traditional media.
Innovation is key to ensuring that our sustainable future is also inclusive. What are the novel trends and opportunities that you think will be game-changing for SDG action?
I believe there are two opportunities to take into account: young generations and technology development.
The younger generations are the people who will be adults in 2030 and will be in charge of the future of our Planet. An increasingly coherent youth agenda is emerging across continents, calling for more equality, greater well-being and the protection of human rights. A large number of governments have understood this imperative and begun designing national youth policies. For this reason, ASviS has always tried to give space to young people; there is a working group within the Alliance specifically dedicated to youth organizations.
Technology also has a leading role; it is the driver of development, but the transition to the digital economy must be healthy, competitive, people-centred and compatible with an open, democratic and sustainable society. Within this framework, the use of technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence and 3D printing increases the efficiency and sustainability of production processes, bringing important economic benefits.
For many, the quest for an equitable and sustainable future starts from within. What has been a key turning point in your life? What have you learned from this that gives you hope for the current turning point we find ourselves in?
In my personal and professional experience, a key turning point has been the shift from the for-profit to the non-profit sector. During my professional life, I witnessed the growing acceptance in the private sector of the need to integrate profit with other metrics, such as social and environmental considerations, and the transition from a shareholder model to a stakeholder one. I was extremely proud of having been part of that world during that pivotal change. However, even the scope of the change in the most committed company cannot compare with the energy and activity existing in civil society. Working in the Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development is inspiring. As Secretary-General of ASviS, I can say that the challenges to be faced in order to put Italy on a more sustainable path are not few, but we are determined to tackle the coming years, which are crucial for the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda and for what will come after.
